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The independence of judges and the judiciary under threat
The independence of the judiciary underpins the rule of law and is essential to the functioning of democracy and the observance of human rights. The fundamental right to a ‘fair trial’ by an ‘independent and impartial tribunal established by law’ is enshrined in the European Convention on Human...
Russia: lack of progress on criminalisation of corruption and transparency of party funding
The Council of Europe’s anti-corruption body GRECO published today its fourth assessment of the measures taken by the Russian authorities since the previous examination in June 2018 to implement the outstanding recommendations on incriminations and transparency of party funding. GRECO regrets...
German youth centre awarded with Council of Europe Quality Label
On 31 August the wannseeFORUM Foundation in Berlin, Germany received the Council of Europe’s Quality Label for Youth Centres for the period 2019-2021, becoming the 14th youth centre to be honoured. The award ceremony was held in the presence of Sigrid Klebba, State Secretary of the Berlin Senate...
Finland’s services for women victims of violence praised, but criminal offences review needed
The Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) welcomes Finland´s efforts to increase services to victims, including offering funding for more shelters, but points out in a report published today, that a review of the criminal...
Slovak Republic: Determined action needed to fight corruption in executive government and police
In an evaluation report published today, the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) urges the Slovak Republic to strengthen the effectiveness of its legal framework and policies to prevent corruption amongst persons with top executive functions (ministers and other senior...
Statement by Thorbjørn Jagland on the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief
Following Resolution A/RES/73/296, proposed by Poland and adopted at the 73rd UN General Assembly on 28 May 2019, 22 August of this year will be the first annual International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief. In support of this important initiative,...
Statement by the President of the Congress on the recent suspension of mayors in Turkey
Anders KNAPE, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, made the following statement: "I express my grave concern about the decision of the Turkish authorities to suspend the elected mayors of three metropolitan cities in the south-east of the country,...
Corruption : Germany’s deficient progress leads to “non-compliance procedure”
In its latest report on corruption prevention with respect to members of parliament, judges and prosecutors in Germany, the Council of Europe’s Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO) concludes an “overall very low level of compliance” with recommendations dating from 2015. This “globally...
European Heritage Days 2019: “Arts and Entertainment”
The European Heritage Days, a joint initiative of the Council of Europe and the European Commission since 1999, are the most widely celebrated participatory cultural events shared by the inhabitants and visitors of Europe. The pan-European nature of this project contributes to bringing citizens...
Russian Federation: failure to respect human rights while policing peaceful protests
Today, the Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, published a letter addressed to the Minister of Interior of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Kolokoltsev, regarding the action taken by law enforcement agencies to disperse the largely peaceful protests in Moscow on 27 July 2019, and...
Council of Europe honours Roma Holocaust victims
Seventy-five years ago, the remaining Roma of the so-called “Zigeunerlager” (Gypsy camp) – 2,897 men, women and children – were exterminated in the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau. The liquidation of the camp on 2 August 1944 was a particularly dark chapter of the Roma Holocaust: an attempt by...
Moscow elections: Secretary General urges all sides to cooperate amid violence fears
Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland has held a phone conversation today with Ms Ella Pamfilova, Chairperson of the Central Electoral Commission of the Russian Federation. Secretary General Jagland had previously expressed his concern over the organisation of the elections to the...
Statement by Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland, on the pre-electoral situation in Moscow
“I have been following recent events in the run up to elections in Moscow with concern. Opposition candidates have reportedly been not able to stand for election. I intend to raise this with the Head of the Russian Central Electoral Commission, Ella Pamfilova. All legitimate candidates should be...
Moldova: more efforts needed to combat corruption
The Council of Europe´s anti-corruption body GRECO today called on the authorities of the Republic of Moldova to step up their efforts to implement measures aimed at preventing corruption in respect of parliamentarians, judges and prosecutors. In a follow up report evaluating the implementation...
Congress President takes part in UN sustainability forum
A delegation of 17 local and regional elected officials, including Congress President Anders Knape, actively participated in several thematic debates at the High Level Political Forum, at the United Nations in New York, as part of the PLATFORMA network, which brings together local and regional...
Very slow progress in Austria on measures to prevent corruption of MPs
The Council of Europe’s anti-corruption body (GRECO) today expressed disappointment by the very slow progress shown by Austria in implementing its recommendations on measures to prevent corruption in respect of parliamentarians and called on the Austrian parliament to intensify its efforts to...
Europe’s young people call for equal access to social rights
Over 300 young people and youth workers from all Council of Europe member states and beyond gathered this week in Strasbourg for the ENTER! Youth Week. In a joint message they called upon member states to guarantee the protection of their rights. “All young people must have equal access to their...
Azerbaijan needs more freedom of speech, more lawyers and more jobs for refugees
“Freedom of expression in Azerbaijan continues to be under threat” said Dunja Mijatović, Commissioner for Human Rights, at the end of a four-day visit to Azerbaijan. Recalling the European Court of Human Rights’ judgments stressing a troubling pattern of arbitrary arrest and detention of...
Bulgaria: urgent steps needed to improve foreigners’ healthcare
The Council of Europe’s anti-torture committee (CPT) in its new report published today praised certain improvements in the conditions and treatment of foreigners detained under aliens legislation in the establishments visited in December 2018, but called for urgent measures to improve the poor...
Tools for combatting malicious cyber interference with elections
The Cybercrime Convention Committee, representing the Parties to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, today adopted a Guidance Note to facilitate criminal justice action against election interference using computers. Interference with elections through malicious cyber activities against...
EU becomes observer to anti-corruption body GRECO
The Committee of Ministers representing the 47 member states of the Council of Europe today adopted a decision accepting a request by the European Union to become an observer with the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO). Welcoming this decision, the Secretary General of the Council of...
Romania: lack of progress on anti-corruption measures
Romania has made very little progress to put in place measures to prevent corruption among parliamentarians, judges and prosecutors and to address the concerns raised by its controversial judicial reform, says the Council of Europe’s anti-corruption body (GRECO) in two reports published today....
Congress examines local and regional democracy in Russia
During its meeting in Oslo, Norway, on 3 July 2019, the Monitoring Committee approved a draft report on the situation of local and regional democracy in the Russian Federation, following two monitoring visits in October 2018 and March 2019. Co-rapporteurs Jakob Wienen (Netherlands, EPP/CCE) and...
Enter! Youth Week: Our Rights, Our Lives
On the occasion of its 70th anniversary, the Council of Europe with the support of the City of Strasbourg, the French Ministry of National Education and Youth and the European Youth Forum is holding the "Enter! Youth Week: our rights, our lives” from 8 to 11 July 2019 in Strasbourg. Held under...
Turkey should protect human rights defenders and end judicial arbitrariness
“Turkey must take urgent and necessary measures to re-establish trust in its judiciary and repair the damage inflicted on the rule of law during the state of emergency and its aftermath”, said Dunja Mijatović, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, at the end of a five-day visit to...
Anti-torture committee report on Czechia
The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) today published the report on its October 2018 visit to Czechia. The report assesses the treatment and safeguards afforded to persons deprived of their liberty by the police, the...
More action needed to prevent human trafficking in Andorra
In a report published today, the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) concludes that Andorra has made progress in its legislation and policies to prevent and combat human trafficking, but also requests that the authorities take further action...
Secretary General welcomes French law banning parental violence against children
Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland welcomed today the adoption of a law in France banning the use of violence against their children by their parents. The law prohibiting educational violence, unanimously adopted yesterday by the Senate, bans cruel and degrading treatment, including all recourse...
“Sexting”: children themselves don’t produce “child pornography”
“Sexting” by children (generating, receiving and sharing sexually suggestive or explicit images/videos of themselves through mobile technology) does not amount to conduct related to “child pornography”, when it is intended solely for the children’s own private use. Children coerced into such...
20th anniversary Revised European Social Charter entry into force
“Increased inequality is a major challenge for Europe and social rights’ protection across the Continent should be a top priority. I call on our member states for more commitment to the Social Charter”, highlighted Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland, on the 20th anniversary of the Revised Social...
Poland should do more to shield judges from pressure, protect women’s rights and promote gender equality
Today the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, published a report on the visit to Poland she carried out from 11 to 15 March 2019. The report focuses on the independence of the judiciary and the prosecution service, women’s sexual and reproductive rights, gender...
PACE calls for re-opening of Boris Nemtsov murder investigation
PACE has called on the Russian authorities to “re-open and continue” their investigation into the murder of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, listing a number of “serious concerns” over its independence and effectiveness. The Assembly, unanimously approving a report by Emanuelis Zingeris...
Combating violence in all its forms against migrant children
The Assembly today expressed its concern about the “serious threats” faced by migrant children on their way to Europe and important gaps in the policies and procedures, which limit the legal opportunities for migration in Europe. "Once in Europe, migrant children can also be subject to abuse in...
Local elections in Albania: Statement by the Spokesperson
We closely follow the situation ahead of the 30 June local elections in Albania, which should be conducted in line with all the relevant international obligations and standards for democratic elections, as well as with national legislation. In this context, we recall the Council of Europe’s...
North Macedonia needs more government transparency and a de-politicised police force
In its report on corruption prevention in respect of top executive functions and law enforcement agencies in North Macedonia, Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) calls on the Government to increase transparency of its work and to de-politicise the country’s police force...
PACE demands public inquiry into death of Daphne Caruana Galizia
PACE has listed a series of “serious concerns” over the investigation into the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, and demanded the setting up of an independent public inquiry into her death within three months. In a resolution based on a report by Pieter Omtzigt (Netherlands,...
Marija Pejčinović Burić elected Secretary General of the Council of Europe
The Assembly today elected Marija Pejčinović Burić (Croatia) Secretary General of the Council of Europe for a five-year term beginning on 18 September 2019. In the first round of the election Marija Pejčinović Burić obtained 159 votes, an absolute majority, and Didier Reynders (Belgium) 105...
PACE ratifies Russian delegation’s credentials
PACE has voted to ratify the credentials of the Russian delegation after they were challenged on substantial grounds on the second day of its plenary session in Strasbourg, declaring that it remained “committed to dialogue as a means of reaching lasting solutions”. However, in return the Assembly...
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa: ‘The Council of Europe's pan-European heritage must be preserved’
“Portugal has owed the Council of Europe a permanent inspiration since 1976, on which our democratic consensus has largely been based, which requires a long-term commitment, a permanent requirement of institutions and citizens,” said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of Portugal, speaking today...
It is time to end coercion in mental health
Addressing the Parliamentary Assembly’s debate on “Ending coercion in mental health: the need for a human rights-based approach”, the Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović delivered the following statement today: "It is a great pleasure to address the Parliamentary Assembly on a subject...
Istanbul Convention: Assembly welcomes positive impact and urges states to implement it
PACE today reaffirmed “its firm support” for the Istanbul Convention, “the most advanced and comprehensive international legal instrument on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence”. According to the Assembly, this Convention – entered into force on 1 August 2014,...
Public perceptions of low corruption levels may be misleading
The Council of Europe’s anti-corruption body (GRECO) today warned that public perceptions of low levels of corruption in certain countries may lead to underestimating the need for measures to combat corrupt practices. GRECO also expressed concern about the overall slow progress in implementing...
PACE affirms its members’ rights ‘to vote, to speak and to be represented in the Assembly and its bodies’
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has decided that its members’ “rights to vote, to speak and to be represented in the Assembly and its bodies shall not be suspended or withdrawn in the context of a challenge to or reconsideration of credentials”. In a resolution based on...
Montenegro: positive changes to religious property rights but more clarity needed
The Venice Commission in its opinion published today welcomes “genuine efforts” of the Montenegrin authorities to replace the 1977 Law on legal position of religious communities with a new modern Law on freedom of religion and beliefs. The Council of Europe legal experts welcome that the draft...
Amélie de Montchalin: ‘We must preserve the pan-European dimension of the Council of Europe’
“As we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Council of Europe, we can measure the progress made since 1949 and the fact that this organisation is more essential than ever to promote our common values and foster economic and social progress on our continent,” said Amélie de Montchalin, French...
'We must shoulder our responsibilities to defend the common interests of all Europeans'
“The part-session which we are starting today is taking place in extraordinary circumstances. Our Organisation is going through a crisis which has serious implications for the European human rights protection system and for the stability and sustainability of our own institutions,” the PACE...
Istanbul mayoral vote: well-organised and transparent under tense circumstances
A delegation from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, led by Andrew Dawson (United Kingdom, CRE), Rapporteur and Head of the delegation, observed the re-run of the mayoral election in Istanbul on 23 June 2019. At the invitation of the Turkish authorities, 14...
Parliamentary Assembly Summer Session
A debate on the decision-making process of the Assembly concerning credentials and voting will be a highlight of the Summer session of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), which takes place in Strasbourg from 24 to 28 June. During the session, which marks the 70th anniversary of...
Strengthening academic cooperation with Turkey
The Council of Europe has addressed with the Turkish partners the prospects for enhanced academic cooperation on the Council of Europe's conventions. Professor Michele Nicoletti, former President of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly and coordinator of the feasibility study for...
Better police training to deter anti-Roma hate crimes
A Council of Europe conference in Odessa (Ukraine) from 24-25 June brings together representatives from police forces of Moldova, Slovakia and Ukraine to discuss hate crimes against Roma people in the three countries and how to better prevent such crimes. The two-day meeting will be held in the...
